Australia to replicate full-sized Forbidden City

A group of Chinese tourists pose for a picture in central Sydney June 17, 2013. Australia's coastal Wyong region outside Sydney, a pretty stretch of pristine beaches and wildlife-filled wetlands, isn't high on the travel agenda of most Chinese tourists. But the local mayor and a Chinese businessman have big plans to change that - by building a A$500 million ($480 million) theme park that will include a full-size replica of Beijing's Forbidden City and a nine-storey temple housing a giant Buddha. Picture taken June 17, 2013.[Photo/Agencies]

PANDA PARADISE

The privately held Australian Chinese Theme Park Pty Ltd (ACTP), meanwhile, is hoping its development around 90 km (56 miles) northeast of Sydney becomes a major destination alongside the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

ACTP expects to submit a full development plan for the 15-hectare park within months and begin construction in the second half of next year. The park will be split into seven different cultural sections - including a panda-less "panda paradise", an educational 4D cinema and a waxworks museum for children.

Entry to the park will be free, with revenue derived from the scores of planned food outlets and other activities.

"It will show our culture in a creative way, this is not a copy," said ACTP Chairman Bruce Zhong, who bought the block of land from Wyong Council for A$10 million last year.

Financial backers include Shanghai Oriental Pearl International Communication Pty Ltd and Zhong said ACTP may look to list in the future.

Zhong and Eaton anticipate some local tourists but a glittery launch event in Shanghai last month showed Chinese travelers were the target.

"I would love to go, since it is about China," said Dai Miaohua, an office manager from Shanghai taking in the sights of Sydney's Circular Quay with his family. "I have always been interested in traditional buildings."

But not everybody is won over.

"I don't even like Chinatown," said the visiting Liu. "Why don't they build a Disneyland?"